Berlin / K17 / Agalloch + Fen

Fen (7/10)
Start 20:30 / End 21:40
Fen offered a great opening performance to the show, with its mix of Black Metal, Folk and Prog. The band comes from England, and with only basic light effects, a lot of smoke, few words exchanged with the audience and the jeans+black shirt outfit (reminding Winterfyllet – is this a mark of the British Black Metal scene?) Fen showed how substance wins over apparence. Despite the long songs, the several tempo changes within each song succeded in entertaining the audience, avoiding the risk of boring it. Overall, a proper and enjoyable show, waiting Agalloch.

Agalloch (8/10)
Start 21:45 / End 23:45
Agalloch, coming from the States, is one of those Black Metal bands which have always tried to experience beyond the borders of the music genre. Agalloch’s music includes Folk metal, Doom and Progressive components, all resulting in a very peculiar style. The tunes are a perfect match to the themes with which the lyrics deal: if you close your eyes listening to Agalloch’s music, you can be projected into a pagan world, surrounded by dark woods in a foggy atmosphere, feeling cold and desperation. The intro ritual was alone worth the ticket price: background noise and burning incenso announced a sort of esotheric event. The scenic design featured a big band logo in the middle and two widescreens, which was proper for the show. Landscapes and forests, in grey tones, were projected on the widesceens, and every visual component present on the set helped the audience to assimilate Agalloch’s music in a way achievable only in such a highly well constructed live show. After this experience going home in a cold spring night, such as yesterday, does not feel the same…
Venue: K17
Price: 14,50€ at K17 Website
Setlist: Agalloch